Im Yoon-a: 8 Things You Didn't Know About The Bon Appetit, Your Majesty Actress

Just finished watching historical drama Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, and need to find out more about the lead actress who time-travelled to the Joseon era? The French-trained chef Yeon Ji-yeon was played by Im Yoon-a, or better known as Yoona from Girls’ Generation.

She debuted in the girl group in 2007, and about a month later, she made her acting debut through a minor role in drama Two Outs in the Ninth Inning. To date, she has acted in numerous movies and dramas, including Bon Appetit, Your Majesty and King The Land. She is also a familiar face in the hosting arena, having been the emcee of the year-end music show MBC Gayo Daejejeon since 2015, and the Blue Dragon Series Awards since 2022. Read on to know more about her.

1. She auditioned almost 200 times before making it big

Yoona joined SM Entertainment, the company that Girls’ Generation, which is part of, is under, after auditioning just once, and subsequently became a trainee to be a K-pop idol. However, she said on a variety show that prior to her debut in Girls’ Generation, she had to audition about 100 to 200 times to appear in dramas and commercials. In an interview with South Korean entertainment website Soompi, she shared that the numerous failures taught her that having confidence is important. She said, "Even if you’re not good at something, if you approach it in a confident manner, then that builds up to become a good experience.”

2. She is a philanthropist at heart

In 2015, Yoona became the first K-pop idol to become an Honor Society member after she made a donation of over 100 million won to the Community Chest of Korea within five years. When Seoul Community Chest offered her to join the Society on the condition that she donate that amount in the given period, she declined their offer because she wanted to give back to society quietly. However, she eventually took them up on their offer when she realised she could use the opportunity to raise awareness about the charity and, in turn, get more people to donate. She started donating in 2010, and by 2018, she had contributed more than 300 million won. She was the second non-Chinese spokesperson selected for a Chinese charity campaign, Power to Go, which raises funds for children in impoverished areas of China so they can receive opportunities for better education. 

3. She is quite the baker

When Covid-19 hit, many of us turned to baking at home, and Yoona was one of those who jumped on the bandwagon, with impressive results. She's showed off her bakes on her Instagram, which run the gamut from these adorable lemon-shaped breads, to scones and pecan pies.

She revealed in a recent interview that baking is one of her hobbies, and that she has been interested in cooking since she was young. To prepare for her role as a master chef in Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, she attended a cooking academy for about three months. She also consulted chefs when it came to the dishes she cooked in the drama. In fact, 80% to 90% of the dishes on the show were made by her!

4. She is known as the 'CF Queen'

Yoona has earned the nickname "CF Queen" thanks to her many television commercial films (CF), and has been a spokesperson for various brands. Apart from Korean beauty brand Sulwhasoo, she’s also an ambassador for Italian luxury fashion house Valentino as well as Hong Kong-based luxury jewellery brand Qeelin. Her previous major endorsements include Estee Lauder, Miu Miu, Michael Kors, Innisfree, Pandora, and more. As of 2024, her individual commercial deals count was reportedly at 40. Add those on to the group deals that Girls’ Generation have gotten, it’s no wonder she wears the “CF Queen” crown!

5. She is reportedly worth US$20 million

With all the hit dramas, endorsements, and as part of one of the top K-pop girl groups, it's no wonder Yoona has amassed plenty of wealth throughout the years. According to reports, she has an estimated net worth of US$20 million as of 2023. In the same year, she sold a building she had bought in 2018 and made a profit of about US$11 million. The building was located in Cheongdam, Gangnam, which is a prime real estate area.

6. She loves Singapore's chilli crab

Our iconic local dish has garnered many international fans, and that includes Yoona. During a 2018 visit to Singapore, she declared that "the No. 1 thing about Singapore is still chilli crab", with pepper crab coming in a close second.

When she was in town in Singapore in 2023 for an Estee Lauder event, she said she didn’t have time to explore the country due to her tight schedule. However, she made time to reunite with her favourite dishes, updating a photo of her enjoying chilli crab, pepper crab, and even cereal prawns.

7. She can speak Mandarin

In 2020, the star took to her Instagram stories to share that she had passed the Chinese Proficiency Test HSKK, captioning her test results, “Last year’s attempt, the new year’s passing.” The HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) is an international standardised Chinese language test that measures the ability of non-native Chinese speakers to communicate in Chinese in daily lives, academic and work settings.

The actress has been learning Mandarin since she was in middle school, and throughout the years she was training at SM Entertainment. In 2016, she even starred in a Chinese drama, God of War, Zhao Yun, where she delivered her lines in Mandarin. During the promotional activities for the drama, she demonstrated her fluency when she understood the questions being asked during a Sina interview and could reply and crack jokes in Mandarin.

8. She is a jack of all trades (and hacks)

If you have watched season two of South Korean television programme Hyori’s Homestay where Yoona appeared as a part-time worker at the bed and breakfast facility (which is basically singer Lee Hyo-ri’s house), you would have known she was a very efficient worker. One of the reasons why she was a great help was her resourcefulness, such as using a plastic bag to clear a clogged toilet, and using toothpaste to remove stains on an induction hob. She has also shared various hacks on social media, such as how to fold the bag of potato chips to keep them fresh, how to prevent spills when inserting a straw into a plastic-sealed cup, among other life hacks.

This article was originally published on Sep 17, 2023, and updated on Oct 1, 2025.